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By NICK ZEGARAC
One of the all time great
four hanky tearjerkers, "Random Harvest" (1942) is
a bittersweet tale of love and sacrifice, set
against that mythical backdrop of a jolly ol'
Britain that never was. It stars Ronald Colman as
Charles Rainier, a war veteran who is suffering
from amnesia. Paula Ridgeway (Greer Garson) is the
unfortunate dance-hall hostess who falls in love
and marries Charles -– now renamed John "Smithy"
Smith. But true love never runs a straight course
and John and Paula's brief chance at happiness is
overturned when a car accident jogs John's memory.
He returns to the life he once knew, oblivious
that his new and fragile world with Paula ever
existed.
Colman's gentlemanly congeniality always astounds
with frank grace and maturity -– qualities sorely
lacking from the leading men of today's cinema.
Garson is charming; blowing in as a summer's
breeze and just as passionate, divine and charming
as Colman. Director Mervyn LeRoy modulates each
plot point and circumstance with subtle panache
and quiet rectitude for his subject matter.
There's never a point at which the melodrama
becomes cheap, exploitive or overwrought. The
years may pass and memories fade, but "Random
Harvest" has proven to be that rarest of eternal
cinematic treasures -– genuine and outstanding in
every way.
Warner Home Video delivers a marvelous DVD
transfer. The grayscale has been impeccably
rendered with fine tonality and attention to fine
detail. The picture is generally sharp and
pleasing on the eyes. Blacks are very rich, deep
and solid. Whites are on the whole clean.
Occasionally one will detect a note of edge
enhancement and the odd age related artifact, but
these are bare quibbling on an otherwise flawless
presentation. The audio is mono and very nicely
balanced. A hint of background hiss is detected in
quiescent scenes, but again, for a film element
that is pushing 70 plus years, there's really
nothing to complain about here. Two vintage short
subjects, a trailer gallery and audio only
broadcast of the film round out the extras. A very
nicely put together trip down memory lane from the
good people over at Warner Brothers. Top marks and
highly recommended! |
